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If you are just visiting for curiosity or seeking more knowledge of what Hobby Ceramicraft, Ceramic Cafés, Pottery Painting Parties, or Hobby Ceramics is all about, this page gives a brief synopsis of what magic we have in store.


Put simply, Hobby Ceramics is pottery for the people. In each of its forms it makes the creation of real fired and glazed ceramics easy and within the grasp of anyone, man, woman or child.

There are two main types of business, each offering pleasure, satisfaction, creativity and social enjoyment to the end customer, and excellent profitable business opportunities for the people operating the businesses.
(Even the running of the businesses can be extremely pleasurable as well as profitable!)
The main divisions between the types are:-
1/ Traditional Hobby Ceramics, attracting crafty entrepreneurs, who love teaching people and gain an ever increasing knowledge of Ceramics, and who attract customers who become regular once - a - week visitors to their studios, usually for years on end. Usually sited on fringe of, or outside towns, customers happily travelling to them.
A get rich slow business, but immensly rewarding in the long term.
and 2/ Ceramic Cafés, also known as Contemporary Studios, (with the new off shoot of the Pottery Painting Parties, pioneered by Hobby Ceramicraft ). Usually sited in high traffic areas of town, a very simplified and easy  to learn business requiring entrepreneurial skills, currently sweeping the country and attracting many Franchise Sharks for the unwary.
Very much a get rich quick business,do it right and we believe it can also become a long term one also.
Pottery Painting Parties which we developed in 1998 from the Café concept, a small profitable business which can initially be run from home, and which could stay small, or could easily grow into either of the above larger business types in time if desired.
You can explore each of these in much more detail by heading back to our index page and following the various headings, this is just a brief overview.
1/ Traditional Hobby Ceramics
starts with a plaster mould into which the Studio Owner pours liquid clay to make the fragile greenware shape, and this is what the customer buys to start work on. (This stage is messy and "work", but astoundingly profitable)
The Customer is taught how to clean up and decorate this fragile shape, which is then fired in the studio kiln. At the next visit the piece may be further decorated, glazed, and again left for firing in the kiln. The piece is collected at the next visit, but normally the customer will then have a following piece on which they are working. At each and every stage the customer makes quite small payments buying products or firings. Customers require teaching, frequently becoming very knowledgeable in time, and very highly addicted long term regular customers.
Business needs investment in extensive range of moulds, colour products, slip, kiln, and an intensive 6 day course.
But does not need expensive high profile town premises or large kiln.
2/ Ceramic Cafés
is a very simple, high profit, high quality operation, which when done correctly produces a very high quality end product.
Sweeping aside all the mess skill and work of moulds, slip and "pouring", the Café owner buys in boxes of ready made high quality, already once fired Bisque. Plates are very popular, but the variety is vast, (see under products we sell part of site)

Customers then use special Stroke and Coat paint to decorate their chosen piece. Stroke and Coat is water based, (does not spoil clothes), non toxic, (no harm to children or the confused if drunk!), and is specially coloured so that the product you see is very similar to the product you end up with, (often other ceramic colours change dramatically in firing.)
Help and advice is on hand if customers need it. All customers will get the basic simple "how to do it" talk, a multitude of further aids and advice is available for those who need it.
The Stroke and Coat choice of colours is very large, and there are various texture and "stand up" finishes also available.

Once finished the item is dipped by the studio staff in special Dipping Glaze, and fired in a modern fully computerised kiln, which transfoms the bisque, colour and glaze into a permanent masterpiece which may well exist in a thousand years!
Whether complex, simple or just plain fun designs, the results are sensational. Magic happens in a kiln!

The choice of kiln is important, The Studio Two and Goliath kilns are specially made to be economical in electricity, (a heavy old fashioned kiln can cost almost twice as much to fire and take twice as long to cool.).
The computer controls perform complex firing programmes safely at just the simple touch of a button.
Hobby Ceramicrafts teachers our customers that it is important, and possible, to have the customers piece ready for collection 24 hours later. We see many operations where the customer is made to wait 4, 5, or even 6 days before collection, Not Good Enough!!!
 Business needs, high street location, (or similar); tables and chairs, (as a  café would have), a large kiln, Business Acumen, (our course includes a mass of business ideas), a much smaller amount of ceramic knowledge, (but that which they do need is vitally, very, very, important! Our two day café course is very intensive), and allied to that, the right materials, (many mistakes have been made using inferior materials, both in the U.K. and in the U.S.A., if you want repeat custom you must use good materials and procedures.)
You Do Not Need vast amount of knowledge, (but see above), moulds, slip, vast ranges of colour products, or a massive investment in stock. (many very large enterprises have commenced with a spend of only  £5- 6,000 on kiln, bisque, colour, brushes etc.You will of course need the investment in rent, rates, insurance, wages etc.)
Pottery Painting Parties.
A poor relation of the above. Working on exactly the same principles, but taking the bisque and colour out to peoples homes, clubs, halls etc., and most especially concentrating on parties, childrens, hen, engagement, or whatever; taking the pieces home for firing, and delivering the complete package back 2 - 3 days later.
An opportunity to "put a toe in the water", start a small home / part time enterprise for just £1,000 + an enjoyable weekend course for £145.
(There is even a cheaper still start up pack based on the FireSprite kiln for the very tiny operation)

 If your interest is wetted, please explore our site further, it is loaded with information.

Our aim is to help customers to success. If we help you make a million, we will benefit also!
Just Selling At You as many do is we think, a/ hard work, and b/ does not have any REAL future for you or us.
So, please, Talk To Us. 0118 9326 153
 

(Hobby Ceramicraft supply across the British Isles and Western Europe. If you live in America, please contact a U.S.A. distributor, we would not wish to poach their customers)

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